Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H E. SPILMAN. GAR GOUPLING.

Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

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' Arm/mfr UNITED STATES HENRY PATENT OFFICE.

E. SPIIJMAN, OF SPILMAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BALDWIN D.

SPILMAN, OF PARKERSBRG, VEST VIRGINIA.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATION'forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,429, dated December3, 1889. 'A Applicatoniled April l0, 1889. Serial No.'306,738. (Nomodel.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HENRY E. SPILMAN, of `Spilman, in the county of Masonand State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Oar-Couplings, of which the following is -a specification.

My invention is an' improvement in carcouplings, and seeks, among otherimprovements, to provide a novel construction by which the cars may beautomatically coupled and may be uncoupled from the side of the car,thus 'rendering it entirely unnecessary for the brakeman to go betweenthe cars in either the coupling or uncoupling of the same.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinationsof part-s, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 is avertical section, of one end of a car provided with my improvement..Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the coupling jaws or sections. Fig. 4is a plan View, partly in section, of the improvement. Fig. 5 is a frontview of the improvement. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the outer end ofthe draw-head with the coupling jaws or sections in place. Fig. 7 is avertical longitudinal section of the outerend of the draw-head with thecoupling-jaws removed. Fig. 8 is 'a detail view of the coupling-bar, andFig. 9 is a front view of the improvementas used on a passenger-car..

The draw-head A has the stem A at its rear end, which stem extendsthrough plates B B', which are supported and movable in guides or waysb, formed in the beams b of the car-frame, a pin a being passed throughthe stem A in rear of the back plate B and holding the draw-head frombeing pulled out, a shoulder a being formed on the draw-head in advanceof the plate B, as shown. stein A', between the plates B B', I provide aspring @which bears or eases sudden strains in starting and stopping thecars.

The openings in both plates B B for the stem A are made oval orelongated vertically, so the stem A may have a limited vertical play. Toprevent the spring C from fouling in the opening in the front plate B, Iprovide On the a bearing-plate C', which receives the pressure of thespring C and prevents it from fouling in the opening of plate B. It willbe understood that the opening in plate B is elongated a much greaterextent than that in plate B', so that I do not need a plate C in forinstance, when the cars cross a rough railjoint-is in a great measurerelieved from the coupling-bar, thus avoiding the danger of breaking thecoupling-bar or the draw-head by the hammering resulting from anyroughness in the track.

The draw-head is suitably placed at its for.- ward end to receive thecoupling-bar, and is preferably made with horizontal partitions E E,forming the mortise of the draw-head into these compartments, a middlecompartment e, and a compartment above and below the same. Thisconstruction is preferred inifreight-cars, because it provides for theadjustment of the coupling-bar to accommodate the variations in Aheightsof the cars; but in passenger-cars, which are all substantially the sameheight, the partitions E may be dispensed with, as will be understoodfrom Fig. 9.

The coupling jaws or-section's F are formed with posts or pintles f,having heads f at their upper and lower ends, and the wings f2,

which are preferably slotted to form a section to tit in each of thecompartments of the drawhead, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5; or they maybe made as shown in Fig. 9. These jaws F, of which I use two, areinserted laterally through the sides ot' the draw-head from the outside,such draw-heads being provided in their side walls with openings G forthe admission of the wings f2, and being formed in advance of theopenings G with hook-like bearings g, tittedA to receive the pintles f.These hook-like bearings open or face rearwardly, so that the jaws aresecurely held by ICO such bearings as against forward strain exerted onthe wings f2. It will be seen that the heads j" bear above and below thedrawhead and guide and steady the jaw in its mouements. The jaws beingmade in a single piece, it will be seen that in the case of theconstruction shown in Fig. 3 tension or motion exerted on one of thesections of the wing, formed by slotting such wing, will be transmittedto all the others. The jaws are actuated by springs l-I, secured attheir rear ends to the draw-head and bearing at their free ends againstthe outside of wings f2, so as to force the opposite wings normallyclose together in the uncouplcd position of the parts, and also to holdsaid wings tightly against the coupling-bar l when the latter isinserted in the d raw-head, as will be understood from the full anddotted lines in Fig. fl. These springs ll are usually, and preferably,placed to operate in the middle compartment e, and are ineased at theirrear ends in slots 7i, extended from the side walls of suolicompartment.

The coupling-bar I is formed with heads i, having shoulders '1l' forengagement by the coupling-jaws and an extension r42,'to steady the barin coupled position and to hold it in substantially horizontal position.It will be seen that the coupling-har when in a drawhead has sufficientlateral play to permit the proper rounding of curves, and has suficientvertical play to permit the easy passage of the ears onto and off anincline.

A handle-lever J is arranged on one side and a connectingdever K on theopposite side of the draw-head. The lever J is pivoted at its lower end,j and is connected above said pivot by a link :L with the coupling-jawon the side adjacent to the said hand-lever. Above said link L a link orrod M connects with the leverJ and extends thence to the lever K andconnects with the upper end of same, suoli lever K being pivoted betweenits ends and having its lower end connected by a link N with theadjacent cou pling-j aw. By the described construction it will be seenthat by operating the handle-lever both the coupling-jaws may be drawnoutward to relieve the couplingbar.

I claiml. The improvement in car-couplings, substantially as hereindescribed, consisting of the draw-head having its sides formed withopenings adapted to permit the insertion of the coupling-jaws, and thecoupling-jaws inserted through said openings, such jaws being pivoted attheir outer ends vertically to the draw -head and inclining convergentlyfrom said pivoted ends to their opposite or inner ends, which latter arearranged in rear of the pivo'ted ends and are adapted to engage thecoupling-bar, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, thecombination of the draw-head having at itssides rearwardly-facing hook-like bearings, and the jaws or seetions F,formed with posts or pintles f, fitted in said bearings and having headsf' at the upper and lower ends of said pintles, substantially as setforth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of the draw-head having atitssides rearwardly-fac ing hooklike bearings, and the jaws provided withportions or pintles arranged to bear in said hook-like bearings,substantially as set forth.

4. In a car-coupling, a drawl1ead having in its side walls openings forthe insertion of the coupling-jaws and provided in advance of suchopenings with rearwardly-facing hooklike bearings, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination of the drawhead having horizontalpartitions E, forming the mortise thereof into com partments, thecoupling-jaws having their wings slotted, forming sections operating insaid compartments, and the springs whereby to actuate saidcoupling-jaws, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

G. The combination of the draw-head, the jaws and actuating-springstherein, the han d lever J, arranged at one side of the draw-head andpivoted at its lower end, the lever K, arranged at the side of thedraw-head opposite lever J and pivoted midway between its ends, a linkN, connecting the lower end of lever K with the adjacent jaw, a link M,connecting the upper end of lever K with the lever J, and a link L,connecting said lever J with the adjacent eoupling-jaw, allsubstantially as set forth.

7. The improvement in car-couplings, substantially as herein described,consisting of the draw-head having the partitions E and provided withlateral openings G and with hooks g, the coupling-jaws having theirwings slotted to correspond with the partitions E and formed withpintles f and heads j", and the springs arranged to actuate suchcouplingjaws, substantially as set forth.

HENRY E. SPILMAN.

Witnesses:

OKEY A. RoUsH, R. J. PATTERSON.

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